“Walking Dead” season finale grumble thread: Rick’s mad as hell and he’s not going to take it anymore

posted at 7:31 pm on March 31, 2014 by Allahpundit

Let’s get the praise out of the way: I liked what they did with the flashbacks. It’s a neat trick to kill off a major character — a beloved major character — earlier in the season and then shove him back in front of an unsuspecting audience after they’ve made peace with his loss. Never did I like Hershel as much as I liked him last night; it was a clever way to make the viewer feel Rick’s own grief. At first I was left wondering why, after the encounter with the rednecks, Rick would be flashing back to life at the prison rather than to the serenity of life before the zombie apocalypse with Lori and Carl. Then I remembered: No one liked Lori, Rick apparently included. He’d actually rather daydream about growing vegetables while surrounded by flesh-eating monsters than about his dearly departed wife. I also admired their guts in broaching the subject of rape in the redneck scene. There’d be a lot of that in a world as brutal as zombie Earth but the writers, for understandable reasons, have stayed away from it for fear of being accused of exploitation. (Offhand, Shane’s attack on Lori a few seasons ago is the only instance that I can remember.) Making a child the intended victim was even bolder, although you knew the attempt would be thwarted somehow.

So much for that. I feel like a chump after having wondered last week whether, maybe, possibly, if we’re lucky, Rick might be the major character who ends up dead in the season finale. In hindsight, that was foolish. Last night’s episode made clear that this isn’t a show about the zombie apocalypse or even about how people deal with the zombie apocalypse. It’s a show about Rick, whom the writers love unapologetically no matter how bored the rest of us get with him. The theme of last night’s ep was supposed to be Rick’s psychological journey from reluctant leader to coldly ruthless survivor, a la Walter White. But the big set piece, in which poor Carl nearly gets the “Deliverance” treatment from some hooting redneck, didn’t really bring that home. We were, I think, supposed to be horrified on some level at what Rick’s become (again, a la Walter White), but the circumstances of that scene didn’t lend themselves to that. Of course Rick would behave viciously, including tearing out a guy’s jugular with his teeth, to save himself from being shot in the face. Of course he’d savagely murder a man who intended to rape his child. None of this signals a mental or moral break of any kind; it’s all self-defense or defense of an innocent. If he’d had a gun in his hand and had declined to use it because he wanted to use his teeth on the redneck-in-chief, that would have meant something. As it is, what was he supposed to do?

The real significance of that scene to me was as a declaration by the writers that they will not, under any circumstances, kill Rick off. No matter how difficult the situation, no matter how implausible that anyone could survive it, Rick’s coming out alive. Absorb this: You had a gang of battle-hardened men armed to the teeth ambush him, Michonne, and Carl, hold guns held to their temples, and actually begin a countdown to blowing Rick’s brains out — and somehow Rick’s entire crew emerged unscathed while the rednecks were disarmed and slaughtered. They might as well have had a bullet bounce off his chest. The final line in the train car at the end was almost a joke on his own invulnerability: Of course the Terminus gang messed with the wrong people — they messed with Rick from “The Walking Dead.” He could kill all of them with his bare hands and still have enough left to knock Batman out, and probably will before next season’s opener is over. It got so bad last night that at first I thought the snipers at Terminus were trying to kill Rick when they were shooting at him from the rooftops; it seemed perfectly logical on this show that a guy armed with a machine gun firing from 15 yards away somehow wouldn’t be able to hit Our Hero despite using his best aim. I finally realized that they were shooting at him simply to make him run towards the train car (hence the heavy-handed metaphor about the rabbit trap earlier in the show), but that’s where we are on this show now. It’s a Rambo movie with Rick in the title role. I actually thought at one point last night, when he was burying the arms cache outside the walls of Terminus and looking a bit too long at some of his guns, that maybe he was thinking about suicide. That would have been a gut-wrenching but satisfying end to the character; no one could stop the show’s hero except himself, once he’d been irretrievably shattered by the brutality of the world around him. I don’t think there’s been another show on American television that’s had its main character commit suicide. This would have been pioneering. But no, nothing so interesting as that. Rick just wanted to protect his guns before another raid on another defended site.

As it turned out, no one of consequence was offed. (On the contrary, Hershel was brought back to life, so to speak.) I kept thinking it was coming — first during the redneck scene, then when the Terminus crew was herding Rick et al., into the train car, and then inside the train car itself. When they first went into the car, I thought the big reveal was going to be the rest of the gang — Glenn, Maggie, etc — dead and hanging from meat hooks, prepared to be turned into supper for the camp. Imagine that uppercut. Then, when someone began moving in the shadows, I thought maybe Glenn and the rest had turned into zombies and had been corraled by the Terminus people in the train car for whatever reason. That would have been a killer cliffhanger, Rick and Michonne forced to kill their now-dead friends in order to save themselves. Nope. Turns out Glenn and the gang are perfectly fine, just hanging out until Rick gets there and they hatch a master plan to somehow disarm and kill a few dozen heavily armed captors that’ll definitely work. (Maybe a major character will die in next season’s opener, a la the amazing head fake with Kate Mara’s character in season two of “House of Cards.”) It occurred to me that one satisfying ending that would have been true to the “Rick has changed” theme would have been to have Rick, Michonne, and Daryl kill a bunch of Terminus people on suspicion that something evil was going on — only to find out that the people there were sincere in wanting to help new arrivals find safety and sustenance. It would have been Rick’s paranoia, fostered by endless brutality, that blew their chance at what would have been a welcoming community. But no, clearly there is something evil going on — cannibalism was implied with a brief shot of human skeletons — and now we’re left to wonder for months. That’s supposed to be a cliffhanger but it really isn’t because Rick’s already promised to kick ass and take names and, per the rules of the show, when Rick’s in beast mode he’s as irresistible as a tornado. It’s not a cliffhanger, it’s a Rickhanger. Meh.

I checked Twitter after the show expecting to find grumbles about how nothing was resolved, no one died, and we didn’t find out a thing about the big mystery of Terminus after a season-long tease, but all it was was a bunch of “CAN’T EVEN CATCH MY BREATHE” [sic] tweets. The ratings are stratospheric. Nothing’s going to change. Why would it?

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Herschel was the catalyst to Rick’s de-nutting, made him want to put his hands in the earth, work the crops, turned him into famer Rick. Herschel was anti-second amendment when the group arrived on his land. He paid the price when the governor, the ultimate criminal who doesn’t go through a gun check to obtain his weapon, and he lost his head for that naïveté. Then, Rick goes dark side, you didn’t think ths redneck bloods were going to win, did you? Then, all that careful planning to enter Terminus on the sly for what? To walk in and get shuttled through the shoot and into the slaughterhouse? Should’ve stuck to being a famer.

When the show finally ends they’ll be only two survivors, Rick and Carl, just to spite you. Toss up as to whether Judith makes it. It depends if you are hoping she dies to hurt Rick, then for sure she’ll live. The only one with a Rick problem is you.

Making a child the intended victim was even bolder, although you knew the attempt would be thwarted somehow.

It was too late — didn’t you see Carl walking funny afterwards? Why are you referring to Carl as a child? For years we had to hear how he was “a man!” not only a man but “the man!” Anyway, I always thought Beth would be his first though she is sure starting to show her age.

Knives/crossbows/swords are great for killing walkers but they should always carry a gun to kill people, too.

When the show finally ends they’ll be only two survivors, Rick and Carl, just to spite you. Toss up as to whether Judith makes it. It depends if you are hoping she dies to hurt Rick, then for sure she’ll live. The only one with a Rick problem is you.

hadsil on March 31, 2014 at 7:49 PM

Who says Judith lived. She might have been some of that tender looking BBQ they were plating up when things went bad at Terminoose.

Isn’t it implied that Beth is dead? I thought at least they’d find her corpse or some indication that she’d been eaten by the Terminus cannibals.

blue13326 on March 31, 2014 at 7:43 PM

I didn’t think so. I suspect that we my see her as a new bad ass Carol type and help with the Terminus termination. She is on the outside and so is Rick’s stash of guns. I wondered why he put his own revolver in the stash and now I know.

I find Allah’s thoughts on the show fascinating. Virtually everything he says that would have made a good finale (Rick committing suicide, the rest of the group being walkers, etc) would have been awful. I would have HATED it. I am so glad Allah has nothing to do with the writing of this show.

The terminus leader is going to make the Governor of Woodbury look like a Disney Princess in comparison.

portlandon on March 31, 2014 at 7:55 PM

See, at this point, I have to disagree. The Governor was an evil piece of sh!t from the get-go. If Terminus is a cult or cannibals, I have to cut this Gareth clown some slack because he may truly be insane. The Governor was a petty little tyrant. Time will tell, I guess.

But they should have gotten Jimmi Simpson from Breakout Kings for that role.

This was actually a pretty good episode except for the fact Rick doesn’t realize Terminus is a trap after he explains trap-making 101 to Carl. And when do you ever disarm to strangers? I mean they should have learned that’s a no no especially since we’re only about 2 years into the Apocalypse and recent events should be fresh in their minds.
I did find it odd they returned the weapons to Rick’s crew, were the Terminus people possibly going to get Rick to join up? And the bones are definitely a sign it’s cannibalism, which were a mistake to show since we could have been in doubt to what Terminus was all about til next season and whether Rick’s new Rambo-mode was killing or endangering decent people.

Heh. They won because you can’t stop trying to outguess them. Which means you are still hooked. This show is addictive because they toy with cliches.

We were, I think, supposed to be horrified on some level at what Rick’s become (again, a la Walter White), but the circumstances of that scene didn’t lend themselves to that.

Maybe they writers led you on to expect that conclusion.

Maybe they are not toying with cliches. Maybe they are toying with you.

Everytime the series drags, and the audience thinks the game is over, they shake up reality, again

There is usually a point where the audience feels ripped off and bails. This is Zombie Matrix.

Otherwise, Ricks head would be flattened like a pancake by now

I don’t understand why Hollywood fears the Deliverance from Rednecks. Rednecks fear the Deliverance from the Hollywood types, and to me, the Terminus crowd looked like they could be the back up dancers for a Madonna concert. Which I believe is another head game. The writers are working their way through the cliches, backwards. I’m still hooked

You know, as evil as the governor was portrayed was he wrong about kill or be killed. Think about it, except for the group looking out for the sick people in season one (remember that) every organized group Rick meets are monstrous killers. Cannibals, rapist marauders, the group they met in town when Hershal got drunk. Everyone except Rick, and even they hardened up to the point of abandoning people to die.

First, I guess I was wrong about cannibalism being too taboo. But I guess if you’re willing to show a guy attempting to rape a id, cannibalism isn’t such a tough next step.

So it’s pretty clear to me that AP won’t be happy no matter how the show is written, or what happens until they kill off Rick. Which frankly makes no sense because the whole show is about Rick and Carl, no matter what other characters they add on the periphery. I wonder what he’ll be complaining about for the next 6 TWD-free months?

Anyway. It was a good episode, lots of brutality, a running gunfight, lots of other stuff. I was happy with it, and glad they didn’t off a major character. That works better midseason (Lori, T-Dog, Hershel, Dale) than it does at the end of the season (Andrea).

Herschel was the catalyst to Rick’s de-nutting, made him want to put his hands in the earth, work the crops, turned him into famer Rick. Herschel was anti-second amendment when the group arrived on his land.
Cheese Wheel on March 31, 2014 at 7:49 PM

I agree and think that the Herschel flashbacks were not fond remembering but rather Rick driving his demons out. His desire to protect his family and others was the perfect breading ground for Herschel to plant his anti-survival clap trap. Rick is now free of those demons. Well mostly. He’s still a bit to trusting and walked right into that trap. Although it was a neat trick to give back the weapons to engender trust.

Allah’s critical reviewing of this show is so wrong, and yet his political insights are so good. So strange.

Here’s what he missed, especially about Rick. Rick’s turn wasn’t to “bad Rick”, or back to him, but instead accepting who he is and who he has to be as a positive. He has finally accepted that being a good father means being a good protector. He has to be strong but he also has to still be caring, unlike the “tyrant Rick” days. To cross genres, he’s found balance in the force.

I agree that it’s not great that everyone feels like they are invulnerable, but remember that Hershel died just about 7 episodes before. While I knew most the group would survive, there were points where I was convinced someone would die. And there’s still their escape from terminus for that.

As far as Rick being unkillable, I totally disagree, but mainly because I watched the Talking Dead after the show. The insights into the writer’s and producer’s minds are invaluable, and Allahpundit would really improve the quality of his grumbles if addressed what the writers are ACTUALLY doing, instead of what he THINKS they are doing.

For instance, the Talking Dead had the actor playing Rick and the Executive Producer, and the actor was basically begging to not be killed next season (or that’s how it sounded to me). The EP said Rick will be in a lot next season, but I got the impression his death was definitely on the table, especially since he’s finished his “arc”. Now we get half a season of him being uber-Rick (both violent but decent) just before he’s offed in a gut-wrenching mid-season finale.

Rednecks are not hillbillies. Hillbillies are Deliverance. Hillbillies are treacherous. I am a redneck of sorts. And there are bars places in the hills of Kentucky and Tennessee that I, as a white southerner, dare not go.

Trying to understand the connection the entertainment industry likes to make between rednecks and homo sexual rape.

1. Deliverance
2. Pulp Fiction
3. Walking Dead

I have lived among what you Yankees call rednecks all my life and never have I seen or heard of it happening among that community. But to hear the entertainment industry tell it, it’s a frackking plague.

As far as Rick being unkillable, I totally disagree, but mainly because I watched the Talking Dead after the show. The insights into the writer’s and producer’s minds are invaluable, and Allahpundit would really improve the quality of his grumbles if addressed what the writers are ACTUALLY doing, instead of what he THINKS they are doing.

For instance, the Talking Dead had the actor playing Rick and the Executive Producer, and the actor was basically begging to not be killed next season (or that’s how it sounded to me). The EP said Rick will be in a lot next season, but I got the impression his death was definitely on the table, especially since he’s finished his “arc”. Now we get half a season of him being uber-Rick (both violent but decent) just before he’s offed in a gut-wrenching mid-season finale.

Nessuno on March 31, 2014 at 8:07 PM

I think you misheard or misinterpreted what he was saying. Everyone not connected to the show was telling him he was going to die and it was weird for him to hear.

Trying to understand the connection the entertainment industry likes to make between rednecks and homo sexual rape.

1. Deliverance
2. Pulp Fiction
3. Walking Dead

I have lived among what you Yankees call rednecks all my life and never have I seen or heard of it happening among that community. But to hear the entertainment industry tell it, it’s a frackking plague.

Not quite sure why AP tortures himself with a show he doesn’t like but to each his own vice, I guess. BTW where has Bishop been?

hopeful on March 31, 2014 at 7:43 PM

AP isn’t torturing himself, he’s the Mozart of post bait. He makes a few taps on his keyboard and we come screaming out to fill the website with “Oh noes!!!111!!” posts while he and his bosses laugh all the way to the bank.

I did find it odd they returned the weapons to Rick’s crew, were the Terminus people possibly going to get Rick to join up?

Rick’s keen powers of observation must come from Dale’s spotty tutelage. He spies Glenn’s watch and didn’t think to ask what the Terminoids’ pat-downs were searching for? Yes, it was a quick inventory in hindsight to prevent a surprise counter-attack upon capture, but Rick’s gang were overtly carrying those arms anyway.

That was some turnaround by Kris Kristoffe–er, Joe. Ugh, I’d offer my kingdom of G.I. Joes for TWD adversaries more cunning than such generic, Bondesque henchmen.

Complaining that they didn’t kill off the main character. Allah reaches new heights of stupidity. Wow. I think he’ just trollin’ us at this point.

Anyway. Awesome episode. I was wondering just how the hell he they were going to get out of that fix on the road, when Rick took a chunk out of that guys neck. It reminded me of the scene in Rob Roy where Tim Roth’s character beats Rob Roy in a duel, and has the sword at his neck. How does Liam Neeson get out of it? He grabs the blade with his bare hand and cleaving the other guy almost in two. It’s all about getting down and dirty.

Maybe the people at Terminus have had governor-like experiences and have now gone mental/cautious. That would explain the signs that said : “Never Again. Never Trust. We First, Always”, but that doesn’t make them cannibal yet the bones are a strong indication that they are plus they seem to be the only people in the Apocalypse to have meat, and lots of it.

Did you ever once consider that, given the high and continuing ratings and enthusiasm for the show, that the problem here is YOU?

You’ve hated the show from Season One, Episode 1, “Days Gone By.” And yet you continue to watch every episode, whining and complaining all the way. Maybe you’ve liked a couple along the way. Who cares?

You’re like a Santorum supporter. You have already lost, you know you’ve lost, but you won’t give up because you enjoy making trouble. And if Obama wins and zombies take over, well, it’s a price you’re willing to pay because you wanted Santorum.

Kirkman just stated that what the audience believes is usually wrong, so this is not going to be straight-up cannibalism like the comics.

Terminus is a cult. Gareth is the high-priest.

Thanks for sharing that for the TD averse. I figured Terminus cannot just harvest everyone who wanders in–wastes too unrecoverable knowledge of the beforetime. Bob’s medical training (pharmacist?) should preclude him (Or Rainman/blasterMaster) from the dinner plate, giving him the chance to die for Rick–like everyone will at some point.

First & foremost this is a business. They are not going to hurt the brand for some abstract concept of boldness. That’s why Daryl will probably last to the end.

Another thing to note is that Rick, Carl & Andrea are the only characters that are still going 120+ issues into the comics. Kirkman is heavily involved. This is Rick’s show & he’ll most likely go like Tony Soprano – the series ends when he does.

Why not just enjoy the fact that it’s better than 90% of the crud out there & they have yet to have any stealth liberal BS polluting it?

Trying to understand the connection the entertainment industry likes to make between rednecks and homo sexual rape.

1. Deliverance
2. Pulp Fiction
3. Walking Dead

I have lived among what you Yankees call rednecks all my life and never have I seen or heard of it happening among that community. But to hear the entertainment industry tell it, it’s a frackking plague.

I figured Glenn for the rape victim. Herschel, the sod buster, lulled Rick and the others into complacency. His dime store philosophizing doesn’t play any better in flashback. The only person with true leadership qualites is Carol, who has grown from abused wife to clear thinking leader. The pack desperately misses Merle’s inspired humanism.

Three instances does not a plague make. I think Deliverance was the worst offender of the three. The guy in the Walking Dead? I had no idea he was a redneck. And then you have Daryl, who is an awesome redneck character.

1. Why one of the Termites is walking around their compound in body armor? If it was for the impending ambush, he’s not keeping the secret too well.

2. Who the hell wears a poncho in Georgia? I’ve lived in the South my whole life and I have yet to see anyone wear one that wasn’t plastic with a picture of a cartoon mouse on it.

3. Who sees the dirty used poncho and says, “Oh, that is so mine! I’m gonna wear it right now.”

4. Why did Joe’s group seek revenge? They obviously place no value on human life, so why be upset that someone killed one of their guys right after a different one died in a fight over who was going to lay in the bed?

5. They never showed what their reconnaissance revealed that made Rick feel safe to go in.

6. Why not send in a single scout just in case. Have they run into any group so far that had good intentions?

AP, I don’t know why you’re so eager to kill off Rick, who has always been established as the protagonist of the show. Sure, feeding Rick to zombies or cannibals would seem edgy and out of the box–similar in tone and effect to the darkly funny scene in the science fiction movie ‘Deep Blue Sea’ when Samuel L. Jackson’s character is suddenly and completely unexpectedly eaten by a giant, genetically enhanced shark while delivering a stirring motivational speech to the other survivors, but I don’t think it would move the story forward in this case.

My big gripe with the show isn’t with the invulnerability of the lead characters. We’re following those characters, that core group, and we’re meant to sympathize with and like them and feel we know them. That’s genre storytelling 101, so no complaints. What I don’t like–what I’ve never liked–is the lackadaisical way these people behave in a zombie apocalypse. Take Carl, for example. That kid hasn’t followed a single explicit order since the show’s inception. To survive for any length of time in any kind of combat environment, there must be a leader, there must be rules, and there must be obedience, instant and absolute. Any other system than one involving tight, disciplined unit cohesion would soon result in death for everyone. Carl should be zombie chow by now. The only reason he isn’t is because It’s In The Script (IITS), and that’s bad writing, plain and simple.

Why didn’t Carl just shoot the guy outside of the car? He’s got a gun. He’s killed before. It would have given Rick and the others their opening to kick ass.

Mitoch55 on March 31, 2014 at 9:06 PM

The touchy feely walking in the woods with newly feminized Michonne made Carl a eunuch. In his earlier phase he would have blown away the gang of marauders. Now he is left defenseless. He hopes the LGBT community is still extant to help him cope with his confused sexual identity issues after his same sex abuse.

And Carol & Tyrese no doubt heard all the gunfire on their way to Terminus. They will be instrumental in breaking them all out.

Rick throws her out. She saves their azzes.

Carol is the Star of the show.

portlandon on March 31, 2014 at 7:47 PM

This is exactly what will happen. Carol and / or Tyrese may die in the process of getting Rick and the Gang out of the cargo train, but the flashback scenes will be of Rick banishing Carol before she rides to the rescue.

Overall, and compared to the rest this season, it was a pretty good episode. It’s soap opera aspect that make this show awful at times.

It’d be a lot more interesting and realistic if they threw in some cannibals. To heck with catching and eating itty, bitty rabbits. Show Maggie gutted and spinning on a barbeque spit over a low flame, while the bad guys sit a round spitting and whittling and drinking a bottle of Jack Daniels. Now that’d be kind of interesting.

Cannibalism is the obvious thing, but for that reason it may be the headfake. I kind of suspect the whole maze (obvious analogy to Rick’s snare) may have been a sort of crazy “orientation by fire” trust-building exercise for new Terminus arrivals. Here’s a few things that point that way:

1) They gave them back their guns. Did they replace live ammo with blanks? They might have also reduced the draw on Daryl’s compound bow. Can’t do much with a sword, of course, except keep your distance.

2) Baby formula on the train steps. Did Carol and Tyreese already go through orientation?

3) The title “A” and all the doors marked “A.” Almost seems like a psych experiment. Maybe path “B” is for people they decide to kill.

4) Shooting at their feet. (Of course it’s also possible they just want to keep the meat fresh.)

5) Why a train car? Train cars move. Do they have an orientation program that runs along the track, something to build loyalty?

6) The shawl, the watch, the riot gear — a deliberate provocation? Are they really that sloppy?

Of course it’s also possible the welcome meat is human, and either way it looks like it was drugged (which is presumably how they got Glenn’s group).